Judith is getting ready

Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, November 24th, 2018 - 125 comments
Categories: Amy Adams, climate change, Conservation, Environment, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins, labour, national, paula bennett, Politics, same old national, Simon Bridges - Tags:

What does National do? Stick with Simon Bridges who is dying on his feet and appears to be incapable of bringing things around. Or switch leaders?

Like to Amy Adams who is part of Canterbury’s landed gentry and the recipient of central government largesse. And who makes me want to shove things in my ears because every time she talks it hurts so much.  Or Paula Bennett who in a winning election for National where the tide was still coming in almost lost her seat to Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni.

They are running out of options.

Of course there is Judith Collins.  Uber talented Judith Collins who most people would not trust with looking after their pet cat.

It may be that  she is their only realistic choice.  The trouble is however that she may be the choice they would make if they wanted to consign National to the eternal fires of Trumpian right wing hell.

And she is getting ready.  And she is going all Trump like.

From Jacob McSweeney in the Wanganui Chronicle:

Judith Collins has fired shots at the Government and its supporters over political correctness while trying to win over rest home residents in Whanganui.

“I’m so sick of being told what we’re not allowed to think. And if you say something that questions the current Government then you’re called a denier. It’s like a heresy.

“They’re generally anti-religion but I reckon they’d be pretty good at the Inquisition.

“They’re right into it. If you don’t agree with what they say then you’re a bad person.”

The reported comments are resplendent with Fox News type themes.  “Deniers” as in climate change deniers, “political correctness”, and, presumably because she was talking to a group of old people, “millenials”.

And she said things that were clearly not the truth.  Like this:

We’ve got a prime minister at the moment who’s happy to destroy an entire industry, the oil and gas industry, overnight on the flick of a switch to get a headline.”

Oil and gas are still being produced and will be produced for the foreseeable future.

There was also this nonsensical gratuitous attack on young people:

Some of the young people that we talk to … the millennials …. they say things like ‘Oh well, you know, whatever, climate change, whatever’. Then I say, ‘You can’t charge your iPhone’ and they sort of think ‘Well how does that work?'”

Someone should tell her about solar, wind, hydro and geothermal energy.

She had been invited to meet with locals by National MP Harete Hipango.  Hipango won the seat last time by 1,700 votes.  A 2.3% swing will tip her out.

The latest polling suggests that National is at 37% and Labour is at 46%.  The two party swing from the election night result is 8.25%.  If these figures were repeated on election night Hipango’s career would be over, together with the careers of many of her caucus colleagues.

I suspect we are going to see a lot more of Judith in the next few weeks.  And I am surprised National is letting her speak so widely on so many topics.

Tick tock tick tock …

125 comments on “Judith is getting ready ”

  1. James 1

    Judith would make a fantastic PM and I’ll start donating back to national if she takes over the leadership (I paused when bridges became leader).

    • Pete 1.1

      Judith being the answer says a lot about the question.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 1.2

      Why do you think that “Judith would make a fantastic PM“, James, apart from the fact that she wants that title?

      “John Key announced his resignation as leader of the National Party on 5 December 2016. The following day, Collins announced her intention to stand as his replacement, which would have elevated her to the prime ministership.”

      • Pete 1.2.1

        Judith would be a fantastic PM for the most serious and important of aspects.

        Only one PM in the part 60 years would touch her as a subject for the caricaturists and cartoonists – Muldoon.

    • Robert Guyton 1.3

      Judith would make a fantastic bird-scarer.

    • woodart 1.4

      what is it with right wing males wanting overbearing women as leaders, thatcher, pauline hanson, shipley, judith collins.etc. are they a replacement for there mothers, or do they bring back memories of strict school teachers? either way, its creepy.

      • gsays 1.4.1

        Nice observation.

      • mary_a 1.4.2

        @ woodart (1.4) … Yes, creepy alright! Could be these strict disciplinarian woman are a turn-on for inadequate right wing males, who have weird fantasies perhaps, involving receiving (pleasurable for them) chastisement from these stern, forceful, hateful females! Strange.

      • UncookedSelachimorpha 1.4.3

        They’ve been naughty and they must be punished

      • Tamati Tautuhi 1.4.4

        National Party men like being beaten up by there women.

    • North 1.5

      Donate ‘back” James but do be conscious of the whip in the hands of Judith the Narcissist.

  2. cleangreen 2

    Good chuckle there Micky,

    That picture of Collins looks more like “the joker’ every time doesn’t it.

    Judith Collins is a sad joke of course like many of today’s politicians are just “empty vessels.”

    Micky said;

    “Of course there is Judith Collins. Uber talented Judith Collins who most people would not trust with looking after their pet cat.”

    • mary_a 2.1

      @ Cleangreen (2) … yes, it’s becoming quite normal now for Judith Collins to take on the appearance of “The Joker.” No question about that!

  3. ScottGN 3

    Bill Ralston reckons she should hope like hell that the murky forces in the National Party who have weaponised JLR to pave the way for her installation as Leader will fail since National doesn’t have a hope of winning in 2020.

    https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/politics/simon-bridges-national-party-dead-man-walking-bill-ralston/

    • Dennis Frank 3.1

      Apparently he’s a Nat supporter, so his conclusion seems significant: “It is hard to escape the conclusion that as long as Jacinda Ardern remains Prime Minister, we are looking at a three-term Labour-led Government and National is toast.”

      • ScottGN 3.1.1

        Yes that was my conclusion too and another former Nat Richard Griffiths has an interesting piece in the Dom Post this weekend.

        https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/108820734/coalition-government-proving-sceptics-wrong

        • Dennis Frank 3.1.1.1

          And he’s also known to be a Nat supporter. Quite a thoughtful appraisal by Griffin, actually. He also alerts us to the irrelevance of the Nats replacing their leader: “it has come down to their finding a genuine political partner or spending the next few years singing solo in the political back waters of Opposition.”

          So there’s a sure-fire way for JC to demonstrate she’s the right leader for them. Pull that rabbit out of her hat! She could start by actually wearing one, like the Queen. Appropriate role models usually work well. Wave graciously at admirers.

        • veutoviper 3.1.1.2

          WOW just WOW …

          I never thought I would ever say this, but that Stuff opinion piece by the ex-Chair of RNZ, Richard Griffin (not Griffiths) is a MUST READ.

          As some may recall, during the Clare Curran fiasco earlier this year, I was very definitely anti-Griffin from personal experience over the years.

          While not changing my overall view, this article shows that even someone like Griffin can open their mind up to taking an objective look from time to time.

          • Kat 3.1.1.2.1

            Dick Griffin along with Harman, Ralston and other National party hacks all realise the power of Jacinda Ardern and know that as long as she is leader Labour will be at the center of govt for at least three terms, possibly longer. National are in the political wilderness with no real options for a credible leader at present. The helicopter is on constant standby. Judith Collins is just another distraction and no more than a dispensable weather balloon destined to be either frozen in the mesosphere or burnt up in the thermosphere.

    • BM 3.2

      I don’t believe that Judith Collins is the one they want as leader.

      • James Thrace 3.2.1

        They need someone like Chris Penk. Seems to be the most human of the bunch. Strangely I find myself drawn to him. He doesn’t have the snarky bitterness of Collin’s, nor the childish intemperance of Simeon Browne. Good keen kiwi middle man.

        • BM 3.2.1.1

          I get the feeling the preferred choice is Mark Mitchell.

          • Ad 3.2.1.1.1

            … only of Mark Mitchell.

            It would be best if National adopted the tried and true Labour opposition method of going through 1 fresh leader per year to give everyone a rotation. LIke the All Blacks if you will.

            That’s the best result for Labour’s full three straight terms.

          • Incognito 3.2.1.1.2

            Preferred by whom?

      • Incognito 3.2.2

        Whom do you believe is the one they want as leader? And who are “they”?

  4. solkta 4

    Great post.

  5. Dennis Frank 5

    Nice pic but no way is she clever enough to play the joker. I wish her luck – her chances of getting sufficient caucus support are inversely proportion to the average level of intelligence of Nat MPs. If they do select her, likelihood of National remaining out of power gets a substantial increase.

    Why? She wants to shift National to the right. The electorate has allocated govt-forming power to the centrists, so her bias disempowers her. She can only succeed via a strategy of fooling enough centrists. She hasn’t even displayed the ability to do that in her own caucus yet, and they’re much easier to fool than NZF voters…

    • BM 5.1

      Why? She wants to shift National to the right. The electorate has allocated govt-forming power to the centrists, so her bias disempowers her. She can only succeed via a strategy of fooling enough centrists. She hasn’t even displayed the ability to do that in her own caucus yet, and they’re much easier to fool than NZF voters…

      The coming electoral battle won’t be around political ideology it will be about generational differences.

      Collins represents people 40 and up, Ardern 40 and below.

      If you look at it in that context Collins would beat Ardern hands down.

      • ScottGN 5.1.1

        Collins doesn’t represent people 40 and over, you’re dreaming. Her constituency is much older, though they are reliable voters.

        • BM 5.1.1.1

          People who are 40 were the last New Zealanders who experienced that old school traditional kiwi mono cultural way of life, everyone playing rugby, going to the pub, shops shut on the weekend etc.

          People 40 and below have had a far different introduction to life than those 40 +

          That’s why I picked 40 as my cut off point.

          • ScottGN 5.1.1.1.1

            Good Lord BM. Anyone 40 today was born in 1978 not 1958 for Christ’s sake.

            • BM 5.1.1.1.1.1

              NZ didn’t really culturally change significantly till the mid-1990s.

              • boggis the cat

                No “significant” cultural changes!? Do you think that the 1960s and 1970s had no impact on New Zealand? I also seem to recall some major changes due to the neoliberal ‘Rogernomics’ upending the country around 1985.

                Have you been in a coma, or living in some closeted community?

              • RJL

                @BM “NZ didn’t really culturally change significantly till the mid-1990s.”

                If that is true, then people who are 40 today would have been in their late teens in the mid-1990s.

                Teenagers in the 1990s would have strongly affected by, if not at the forefront, of any cultural change happening in the mid-1990s.

          • Incognito 5.1.1.1.2

            You’re behind the times; many eligible voters didn’t grow up here in NZ. For some reason many commentators seem to completely ignore (or deplore?) this fact. Maybe it is easier to write an opinion piece if one keeps it really simple and from a narrow conservative perspective?

      • Kate 5.1.2

        Just asked my mum if she would vote National with JC at the helm.

        A resounding and emphatic ‘No!’

        A lot of older people (women especially) can’t stand her. She is mean and she cannot hide it. It is who she is.

      • Dennis Frank 5.1.3

        Dunno why you’d think that. Not a single election in our history has ever been won on the basis of generational differences, has it? In fact, in half a century of watching, I haven’t encountered a single citation or instance of it happening in any western democracy. But I’ve got an open mind, and if you can produce any such instance I’ll give it due consideration…

        • BM 5.1.3.1

          But I’ve got an open mind, and if you can produce any such instance I’ll give it due consideration

          2016 presidential election

          What do you think “Make America great again” was all about

          • Dennis Frank 5.1.3.1.1

            Yeah, some truth in that. Victory of nostalgia over blandness, with the old mostly nostalgic & the young mostly bland? I prefer to see it as Trump told it: anti-establishment vs suckers. So I reckon generational differences were marginal rather than decisive.

          • woodart 5.1.3.1.2

            nothing to do with generation, more to do with misogyny.

          • Ross 5.1.3.1.3

            2016 presidential election

            Except Trump got almost three million fewer votes than the Democrats. Here National got more votes than Labour and still couldn’t form a government.

          • boggis the cat 5.1.3.1.4

            Trump appealed to every group that Clinton’s team ignored. “MAGA” is an empty slogan that can have any meaning read into it.

            The results from the recent mid-terms seem to point to his lies having worn thin, however. Republicans took a beating even in rural areas, and a lot of districts have swung from ‘red’ to ‘purple’.

            Reliance on older people as a conservative voting bloc is eroding fast in the US. If National want to try that as a tactic here they’re welcome to.

  6. Draco T Bastard 6

    I suspect we are going to see a lot more of Judith in the next few weeks. And I am surprised National is letting her speak so widely on so many topics.

    Yep. And it’s going to be painful.

    And then they’ll make her leader.

    And then, at some indeterminate point in the future, National will be on its knees begging Blinglish to come back to see if he can return them to the glory of his 2002 result.

  7. millsy 7

    Our very own Cersei Lannister.

  8. Robert Guyton 8

    I reckon, from under Judith’s sparsely-feathered Mother-bird wing will emerge a disarmingly-charming chick who will lead National back into Government…in time. Right now, Judith only has to show she’s a tough old bird; her cute li’ yunker will have us oo-ing and goo-ing but still keep the flinty hard-right happy, knowing who laid her.
    It was going to be Sarah Dowie, but now the nurturing is for another. You know who. I reckon.

    • ScottGN 8.1

      Robert I see that your local newspaper The Southland Times has posed further questions to Bridges regarding the disgraceful text exchange between a Nat MP and JLR? Good work on their part.

      • Robert Guyton 8.1.1

        They’re really good on local issues, ScottGN. Their editorial-writer is canny and bold.

      • Cinny 8.1.2

        Sure is good they are keeping that topic alive down there, at a guess I think a certain MP down south will not be seeking re-election in 2020.

        Thought that topic might have been buried due to the blue nature of the bottom of the south island. Pleasantly surprised.

        Lucky you Robert to have such an excellent local paper, good work Erica Stanford.

        • Robert Guyton 8.1.2.1

          I think Sarah Dowie will stand for re-election. You and she see the world differently, Cinny, by my reckoning.

          • Graeme 8.1.2.1.1

            While Sarah Dowie will undoubtedly stand for re-election, will she be re-selected, and will the electorate (and Southland Times) support her enough to be re-elected?

            The editorial stance of the paper has been rather critical of her behaviour on several occasions.

            • Robert Guyton 8.1.2.1.1.1

              Todd Barclay was reselected, wasn’t he?

              • Graeme

                It would have been interesting how that would have played out if it had gone to the electorate. Probably a reasonably even two way race with toddles toddling along behind in his embarrassment. Party vote would have still been solidly blue.

                Can see the same thing happening in Invercargill.

                • Robert Guyton

                  O, yes. Mind you, Liz Craig’s a strong woman. She has an “estuary health” meeting coming soon – you going? Topical as. Apparently, Sarah Dowie’s “mud malarky for kids” or whatever, had two be “rearranged” because of issues with the healthiness of the …mud. Had you heard?

                  • Graeme

                    “had two be “rearranged” ”

                    Oooops….

                    I’m a couple of hours north so C/S is my patch. The New River estuary has been dodgy for ever, I lived down there in late 80’s and everyone kept well out of it, then.

                    And well done getting Ms D and malarkey in the same sentence.

          • Cinny 8.1.2.1.2

            Hehehe Robert 🙂 Different views on topics like say.. adultery.

            Well if she does stand again, I’ll be very interested in her voting numbers compared with 2017.

  9. DJ Ward 9

    Judith is like something you buy from the warehouse. It looks great, and looks fit for purpose. Unfortunately as time goes on the design flaws show up over time and the purchaser is soon looking for a replacement.

    She has been moved on from a few ministerial positions.

  10. Dean Reynolds 10

    Collins’ address to the Whanganui pensioners was unbelievably inept, incoherent & downright loony. She makes Bridges sound like someone with a golden tongue

  11. SpaceMonkey 11

    Judith Collins’ ambitions outweigh her competency. She would be a boon for the Coalition Government and I suspect most in National know that. She has waaay too much baggage.

  12. Cinny 12

    If judith becomes leader, national won’t win the next election, she is way to polarising and so many skeletons in her closet.

    But if judith becomes leader I will smile and feel very happy for James and Pucky, their devotion to her is admiral, questionable, but very sweet, sweet enough to make me smile.

    • BM 12.1

      Ardern is polarizing

      Collins is polarizing

      Bridges is wishy-washy.

      Collins has a far higher chance of leading National to victory than Bridges.

      • Cinny 12.1.1

        Looking at the poll numbers from the initial post, are you sure re Jacinda?

        • BM 12.1.1.1

          She’s like Key, you either like her or loathe her.

          • Robert Guyton 12.1.1.1.1

            Why would anyone loathe her, aside from tribal devotion to loathing the leader of the party that’s ousted you from Government?

            • Ad 12.1.1.1.1.1

              I have the sneaking suspicion you’re on the left end of the political spectrum.

            • DJ Ward 12.1.1.1.1.2

              Like Trump.

              I definately don’t think she deserves being loathed. Considering she is doing a good job at maintaining stability with the complexities of the coalition. I however don’t see her as some superstar either. She has consistently been let down by events relating to depth of competency within Labour which portrays badly on her.

            • Kat 12.1.1.1.1.3

              Exactly, its only the die hard Nact tribalists that could ever loathe Jacinda Ardern. The only way the Nat nut jobs can deal with the reality of her being the PM is to compare her popularity to that of Key. What the Nact nut jobs don’t get is that Jacinda Ardern and Key have utterly nothing in common except the similarity of being human on this mortal coil.

              Ardern is a giver, Key was/is a taker.

      • cleangreen 12.1.2

        BM = loves Collins = suprise – suprise – surprise.

      • Draco T Bastard 12.1.3

        Ardern isn’t polarising at all. That’s actually part of the problem in that she’s not taking the steps needed because they will upset National.

        Collins has absolutely no chance of leading National to victory ever but she probably does have a higher chance than Bridges.

        • Kat 12.1.3.1

          Jacinda Ardern describes herself as a “pragmatic idealist” therefore not so much about “upsetting National” rather more about being inclusive and taking as much of the people with her on the journey of mending and rebuilding this fair land and the well being of its inhabitants. Its a hard road trying to please all the people all the time.

          • Cinny 12.1.3.1.1

            Nicely said Kat.

            She’s about people, community and country.

            And I’m so happy about that, makes a refreshing and much needed change from the priorities of money and loopholes.

          • cleangreen 12.1.3.1.2

            Yes Kat,

            Jacinda has made many promises including what she requested at the Whitangi speech this year when she said;
            “Keep a close watch on our promises made and remind us when we have failed to honour any of them.”

            Oh yes we are doing this Jacindaa, but are you listening?

  13. Robert Guyton 13

    Oops! She’s the one I meant. She’s being groomed and has talent. Thanks for the correction, veutoviper. They look similar?
    EDIT: I must be seeing things! Veutoviper’s comment … vanished! On my screen, anyway!
    It began: “I’ll raise you…” and had a link to Nicola Willis or some such….hmmmmmmm….
    and now, it’s back!!
    Taking a short break…

    • veutoviper 13.1

      LOL! Presumably this is a reply to my first response to you at 8.2.2. which I then deleted, then put up again …

      Yes they do look similar, and are similar in other respects, but I suspect that Willis is the much more pushy of the two.

      • Robert Guyton 13.1.1

        “They’ve” been showcasing her in photo-ops, beside Simon etc. I guess too, they’ll start, if they haven’t already, moving her around the House to see which seat fits best, as they were doing with Sarah Dowie, until…they weren’t.

  14. ken 14

    Poor old Soimun is too bland and ineffectual.
    Judith is outspoken and exciting and a loose cannon – mad as a hatter.
    It will be pure entertainment watching the hapless nats lurch from one extreme of unelectable leader to the other.

    • cleangreen 14.1

      Simon’s “wheels are falling off his legions of trucks he loves to build his roads for.

      Bah bah bah.

  15. cleangreen 16

    veutoviper thanks for that chuckle I was splitting my sides there, and need to go to the loo now, thanks.

    I appreciate the satire.

  16. gsays 17

    Ok, I am gonna repeat my theory.
    The next tory PM isn’t an MP currently.
    They will chopper in a likeable candidate to a safe seat e.g. Lance O’Sullivan, Michael Jones/Richie McCaw, Teresa Gatting, Nadia Lim.
    (Apologies to any of the above if your politics don’t fit with my suggestion, I am just spitballing.)

    A la sir slippery John. That worked well for them last time.
    One doesn’t need to be a politician to lead the tories.

    • bwaghorn 17.1

      Na she’s already there . Nicola Willis is the name I’ve heard whispered.

      • gsays 17.1.1

        You reckon she is a Nat prime minister or the Nat party leader?
        There is a world of difference as our Simon is finding out.

      • Ad 17.1.2

        Nicola Willis as Prime Minister would make the New Zealand government a client state of Fonterra (even more than we are already).

        Nicola Willis was always a Fonterra shill and always will be.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 17.2

      I suspect gsays is right on this one. They will pick a ‘winner’.

      Right wingers like winners, and winners are often right wing (‘I got here by my own effort – anyone else can do the same’). Of course every winner had a great deal of good fortune on the way, whether they recongise it or not.

  17. Robert Guyton 18

    “Is it a coincidence that Bridges’ one-time rival Judith Collins is quietly positioning herself against any push to make National greener?”
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/108774040/the-big-political-countdown-is-on–are-you-ready

  18. Puckish Rogue 19

    This seemed like a thread I could get me teeth into and, coincidentally, I just happened to be watching a music video that perfectly encapsulates Jude and everything she stands for

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6fHTyVmYp4

  19. Robert Guyton 20

    Pucky – when I look at the picture accompanying this post – I just don’t feel…right..you?

    • Puckish Rogue 20.1

      Men have always been intimidated by strong, intelligent, capable and attractive woman so its no surprise to me that the author would choose to deface Jude in this way.

      Its, unfortunately, the price woman still pay when they choose to serve the public. I thought we might have gotten past this form of attack, given the disgraceful attacks Helen Clark went through, and I did expect better of the author but I suppose when you’re worried you lash out.

      Fortunately Judes heart is big enough to forgive all who transgressed against her when she ascends to her rightful place as leader of this fair country

      Hail Collins!

      • Gabby 20.1.1

        But can she take a sad song and make it better puckers? I think not.

      • Rapunzel 20.1.2

        Well you can hail anyone you want but as a woman I will “paddle my own canoe”. When did any one quoting visceral pork bait become acceptable in a person vying, and lying, to represent NZers?

      • Robert Guyton 20.1.3

        “Men have always been intimidated by strong, intelligent, capable and attractive woman”
        Projection much. Pucky. It’s perilously easy to imagine you curled up on a velvet cushion on the floor of Jude’s parlour, tight, diamanté-studded collar round your thin neck, rheumy eyes pleadingly fixed on your mistress’s every junipered-up sway and wobble and at that much-rehearsed command, “Submit!!”, you scuttle from your puffer, tiny claws click, click, clicking on the lacquered-kauri floor, to her feet, where your dreams come true – your raison d’être is realised; 5 minutes lick, lick, licking “Her Majesty’s” puffy ankles till they glisten!
        Am I close, Pucky?
        I feel I’m pretty close.

  20. Jackel 21

    Judith does Trump speak and a bit of neoliberalism tinkering on the sly. They must have been having a very off day at Crosby Textor to dream that one up.

  21. Jenny 22

    I agree that Judith Collins speech seemed to be Channeling Donald Trump.

    But I disagree with the general consensus here, that Colins couldn’t win the election for National.

    Everyone said Trump couldn’t win either.

    Yes Collins carries baggage, but Hey, so what? So did Trump, that didn’t stop him being elected to head the Republican Party and didn’t stop him being elected President.

    Just as it won’t stop Collins being elected head of the National Party.

    I won’t predict that Collins will win in 2020, that will depend on the Government. Twyford’s latest housing package could be a good start, that is if it directly helps Labour’s low income support base get into houses, and if it doesn’t try to straddle the gap between housing the needy and serving the greed of the developers, and the middle class dream of home ownership and end up satisfying no one.

    Just as Obama’s health care package didn’t go far enough to satisfy the needs of the uninsured, by trying to straddle the gap of accommodating the profit driven model of the private health insurers. And so fell between two stools.

    The government needs to avoid that fate and quietly forget about Kiwi build and housing the middle classes, and concentrate instead on those in greatest housing need by building more state rentals with fixed rents at 25% of income.

  22. Tricledrown 23

    Jenny NZ is way different 1 person 1 vote Trump lost the popular vote. The US has turned against Trump quickly.
    The economy in NZ is performing much better.
    Obama failed to get adequate healthcare for the poor because of fillibustsring by Republicans Trump harnessed that Backlash now he is reaping his own Backlash over the withdrawal of Health insurance which will hit him hard.
    Collins corruption and ineffectual leadership will be her undoing JLR hasn’t finished yet.

  23. Dave B 24

    ‘Someone should tell her about solar, wind, hydro and geothermal energy.’
    Someone should tell a lot of people about the shortcomings of solar and wind, and their ability to drive up the cost of electricity while reducing the reliability of the grid.
    Potential for additional hydro is extremely limited.
    Geothermal has its problems too, in the form of pollutants such as arsenic entering our waterways; and is not as sustainable as you might think. For that matter, neither are solar or wind.

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    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    6 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    6 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    7 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    8 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    11 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    11 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    14 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    16 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
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